Author: Darcie Boleyn
Publisher: Canelo
Publication Date: November 2016
Genre: Chick-Lit / Women’s Fiction / Christmas Holiday
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN
Description: Lucie Quigley hates Christmas. It’s the time of year when everything goes wrong in her life. So this year, when she’s asked to be a bridesmaid at her friend Petra’s Manhattan wedding, she jumps at the invitation to escape the festivities.
Dale Treharne has been best friends with Lucie for as long as he can remember. He’s used to looking out for his oldest friend and when she asks him to be her plus one, he can’t seem to find a reason to refuse. Instead, he sees it as a way to help Lucie get through what is, for her, the most miserable time of the year.
In New York, as the snow starts to fall, Lucie and Dale start to realize that their feelings run deeper than just friendship. But can they overcome their pasts, and make it a very merry Manhattan Christmas?
My Thoughts: I had high expectations with this book to really make the charm and whimsy of Christmas explode around me. Christmas in Manhattan sounds wonderful and it was, but it just took too long for Lucie and Dale to get there. Instead, I felt like too much time was spent lying to family and friends about their fake relationship as an excuse for missing Christmas and how they will “break up” when they get back.
I also felt completely uninformed and in the dark about what happened to Lucie’s mother and why she hates Christmas. Hints are dropped all over the book with a large thud that took me out of the story wondering what happened and wishing they would spit it out already.
What I really liked about this book is the real relationship Lucie and Dale have. The one they are ignoring, or trying to. The deep love and friendship they have for one another is something few people find but most of us spend a lifetime looking for. I loved how Dale is there for Lucie, day or night, rain or shine. It was obvious to me how deeply his feelings for Lucie are and how hard he tries to hold it inside. I was very happy when they finally got honest with one another and bared their hearts and souls.
This book has a lot of interesting characters and I had a difficult time understanding how Lucie and Petra were even friends, much less having Lucie be a bridesmaid. However, the starts and stops I had to endure in the beginning were made up for by the interesting twist the story takes when Lucie and Dale get to Manhattan. I loved the horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park and going to Rockefeller Center to see the tree and ice-skating.
My Final Verdict: Although this book had a lot of moments that dragged for me, I liked the story overall. I thought Dale and Lucie were good characters and their emotions were so raw and powerful in their intensity at times. I even felt a little compassion for Petra by the end. This was a good choice for my Christmas themed stories and readers who think Manhattan at Christmas time is the place to be should give this one a look.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of A Very Merry Manhattan Christmas from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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